A video message from Dr. Chris Gilmer!
Heritage University President Dr. Chris Gilmer
Christopher Gilmer, Ph.D. officially started his role as the fourth president of Heritage University on July 1, 2025.
Dr. Gilmer brings a wealth of valuable experience in serving historically underserved, rural, and first-generation students. Gilmer has served as president of two Appalachian universities, West Virginia University at Parkersburg and West Virginia University Potomac State College. He has served as a faculty member and administrator at three Historically Black Colleges and Universities including Tougaloo College, in Jackson, Mississippi, where he was most recently the Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Social Justice. He has also served on that college’s Board of Trustees.
Gilmer has also served at a Hispanic-serving institution, Adams State University in Colorado, where he was Vice President for Academic Affairs. He is the founder of the National Institutes for Historically Underserved Students.
Dr. Gilmer has hit the ground running in his engagement with the Heritage community. He was on campus this past May, meeting with students, faculty, and staff during the annual Spring Fair activities. Gilmer also attended the 39th Annual Bounty of the Valley Scholarship Dinner, Heritage’s premier fundraiser for student scholarships. There, Gilmer was introduced alongside all three of his predecessors: Founding President Dr. Kathleen Ross, SNJM; Second President Dr. John Bassett; and outgoing Third President Dr. Andrew Sund. Gilmer also met with many of the university’s generous donors who helped make the Scholarship Dinner a rounding success for student scholarships year after year.
Heritage University will host a series of public events to celebrate Dr. Gilmer’s inauguration as its Fourth President. We will share more information on these events as they become available.
Dr. Gilmer invites you to follow him on social media! Click below to find him on the following platforms:
Christopher Gilmer on Facebook
Dr. Gilmer at Heritage University